UW-Madison is providing the following updates on Friday, May 3. Since yesterday morning, campus leaders and protest organizers have held three meetings to understand protest organizers’ concerns and expectations and to lay the foundation to resolve the tent encampment on Library Mall. During the most recent meeting, which took place Friday morning and did not include Chancellor Mnookin, campus leaders discussed their desire to identify a solution before the beginning of finals on Sunday and their interest in an additional meeting on Saturday to engage in further discussion. 5 p.m. Invitation t ..read more

Brelynn Bille, left, and John Bason, right. Photo by Doug Erickson/Photo by Joel Hallberg University of Wisconsin–Madison graduating seniors Brelynn Bille and Josh Baston have been named 2024 winners of Theodore Herfurth and Teddy Kubly Awards for Comprehensive Undergraduate Excellence, among the oldest and most prestigious honors on campus.  The awards are given annually to two seniors who have made the most effective use of their time at UW–Madison. Each winner receives $4,000. Established in 1928, the awards are supported by the family of Theodore Herfurth and Teddy Kubly.  A co ..read more

Quanyin Hu in his laboratory. Photo by Todd Brown/UW–Madison Many pancreatic tumors are like malignant fortresses, surrounded by a dense matrix of collagen and other tissue that shields them from immune cells and immunotherapies that have been effective in treating other cancers. Employing bacteria to infiltrate that cancerous fortification and deliver these drugs could aid treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to newly published findings from a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers. Here’s what to know: Tumor collagen is a tough barrier: Pancreatic cancer is well known fo ..read more

An investigation of former UWPD Chief Kristen Roman conducted by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Office of Human Resources substantiated multiple violations of university employment policies and work rules. Roman resigned on Feb. 11, 2024, ahead of the completion of the investigation and report. She had served as chief of police since 2017. Substantiated allegations documented in the report include: Violation of consensual relationship and nepotism policies Failure to report outside income in an Outside Activity Report Violation of UWPD performance policy for failure to report information ..read more

5:00 p.m. Since this morning, after the University of Wisconsin Police Department and other law enforcement partners cleared an unlawful tent encampment, additional tents have gone up on Library Mall. There were and continue to be serious safety concerns with a prolonged encampment, as Chancellor Mnookin noted in her earlier message. During the operation the morning, some protestors actively resisted officers’ efforts to clear tents, leading to 34 being briefly detained. Most were released without citation but four were booked into the Dane County Jail for acts that include battery to police o ..read more

Francis Halzen EL PAIS/BERNARDO PÉREZ (www.elpais.com) University of Wisconsin–Madison physicist Francis Halzen has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences.  Halzen is one of 120 scientists elected this year in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, according to the academy’s announcement of the new members this week. Election to the academy is among the highest honors that a scientist can receive.  A Vilas Research Professor and Gregory Breit Distinguished Professor of Physics, Halzen directs the UW–Madison Insti ..read more

April at the University of Wisconsin-Madison marks the annual celebration of APIDA Heritage Month. This year’s theme, “Ingredients, Identities, and Intersectionality,” recognized the close connection between food and identity, particularly within the APIDA community. Much like the commonalities and differences of their foods – take kare-kare, karē and curry, for example – the people of the APIDA regions experience a cultural intersectionality that can overlap and interact while remaining uniquely distinct. “Just as ingredients come together to create unique recipes, each individual within the ..read more

Some students set to graduate at this month’s spring commencement have already made their mark on the world. Chandra Chouhan helped found “Chup! Go Vote,” a nonpartisan civic organization “aspiring to amplify the voices of South Asians across America.” And Brelynn Bille was among the leaders of the student coalition that successfully advocated for a Disability Cultural Center on campus ..read more

Chandra Chouhan serves as executive director of “Chup! Go Vote,” a nonpartisan civic organization that works to get South Asian voters to the polls. Photo by Doug Erickson Raised in a household keenly attuned to politics, Chandra Chouhan says she was surprised to discover that her family was something of an outlier among her South Asian high school friends. “Growing up, a big part of my life was watching the news, talking about issues at the dinner table, and seeing my parents vote,” says Chouhan, of Brookfield, Wisconsin. “But that wasn’t the case for many of my peers.” Chouhan, the daughte ..read more

Brelynn Bille has been a passionate advocate for disability rights on campus, often tapping personal frustrations to fuel broader change. Photo by Doug Erickson Brelynn Bille once had a supervisor who kept leaving items around the office in such a way that it made it difficult for Bille, who uses a wheelchair, to access her office. After multiple conversations about it with no changes, Bille moved all the items into her supervisor’s office and scattered them around the floor, preventing him from getting to his desk.  She left a note saying, “If I have to continue to maneuver through bar ..read more